Cold Coffee
by xcostello
Summary: Ianto's alive and breathing just like before the 456 came and Jack's drinking away his sorrows. Not knowing Ianto's alive will Jack ever find his past lover. Or will someone else capture the tea-boy's heart?
1. Chapter 1

Author junoharkness

Beta: a_silver_story

Rating: NC-17 overall. Don't know how bad this story's going to get

Warnings: None for this chapter

Summary: Ianto wakes up after COE

Disclaimer:If I owned Torchwood, Ianto would of never died, instead Gwen would have taken his place when facing 456. However I don't RTD owns it.

Thanks to a_silver_story for being Beta. Turned out way better than planned

'Great … it's dark, and I can't breathe ...' he thinks, gasping back to life. 'What the Hell's going on? And why's it so bloody freezing …?'

He feels like he's running out of air, finally starting to take in the rest of his surroundings. It's dark, so he can't see much, but he can feel cold metal all around where he's lying. His feet hit solid wall, and with one sharp push the morgue drawer slides outward, forcing him to screw up his eyes against the bright light as it hits him.

'What happened …?' wonders, trying to recall any memories of the previous few days. 'We were down in London … some alien … the 456 … taking over the children … God my head hurts … We were standing there and aiming our guns at the tank … it didn't break … They poisoned the room and … I told Jack I love him … he never said anything back … and … and … and I died …'

He sits there for a short while, acknowledging that he was most probably in shock, before realising he recognised this morgue. Torchwood Two: Glasgow. He was in Torchwood Two.

He hopped down from his drawer with a shudder and closed it carefully. Slipping out under Archie's nose wouldn't be too difficult, he surmised, and within fifteen minutes he was stood outside in the Glaswegian rain, his absence undetected.

Last night ... the night before ... the night before that ... the memories were still rather blurry ...

Jack slowly wakes up, yawning, warm and comfortable in bed, the sun creeping in through the window on the other side of the room. His temples were pounding, the daggers trying to work their way out from the inside of his head informing him that yes: he had had way too much to drink for that last ... how many nights was it? The last few nights, anyway.

This was proving to be one of the worse hangovers of his entire two-millenia-and-a-bit-long life, and he already hated hangovers as it was. He groans a bit, wishing the pounding would stop as much as he was wishing the sun wasn't quite so bright. Glancing over at the alarm clock, he can't even read the time, his eyes blurred and misty from sleep and hangover. Rolling with great effort onto his side, he smiles, seeing the form his currently most favourite man in all the world.

He shuffles closer, wrapping arms around him, spooning him from shoulder to thigh, hearing that deep voice in his head, thick with sleep, those tired, blue eyes ... Jack kisses the nape before him, one of the spots on Ianto's body he loved most. Patiently, despite his hangover and the drumming against the inside of his head, he waits for him to wake up so that he might finally ask for a cup of coffee.

The still-sleeping figure before him makes a snuffling sound as he slowly starts to wake up, rubbing his face into the pillow to try and dislodge the sleep from his eyes. Slowly, he rolls over and sees that Jack is already awake. "Morning ..." he whispers, his words rasping with dehydration and thick with sleep.

Jack feels himself grinning a little dopily as he sees Ianto's smile - there's always something about Ianto smiling that makes him feel better, no matter what his mood. It didn't matter whether Jack was upset, frustrated or angry: Ianto's smile could make the whole room change - Jack could even feel the marching band clamouring through his head beginning to quieten. Cuddling him closer, Jack gently kisses him. "Morning," he murmurs. "How did you sleep last night?"

"I slept wonderfully - what about you?" he replies, returning the kiss and watching Jack.

"Great ... well ... except for the hangover," he says, chuckling a little and barely realising the man before him isn't speaking with a Welsh accent. "Can you get me a cup of your fabulous coffee?" he begs, giving him another kiss. Ianto doesn't move, and Jack widens his eyes to his best hungover and puppy-eyed expression. "Please, Ianto?"

Alonso raised an eyebrow to the name. "What are you talking about? ... My name's not 'Ianto', and I've never made a cup of coffee in my life ..."

Jack shuffles closer to him, through sleep-fogged brain still thinking he was Ianto. "Ohhh," he groaned. "Please don't mess around like this. My head's killing me, and I just want your coffee. Please?" he begs.

Sitting up in the bed, Alonso is suddenly feeling very, very awkward. "Jack ... my name's Alonso? Who the Hell is 'Ianto'? And I can't make make coffee. I told you," he explains, pulling back the covers and climbing out of bed, offended. "I'll ... I'll see you around, Captain," he grumbles bitterly, pulling on his uniform as he heads to the door of their hotel room.

"Wait!" Jack gasps, scrambling to follow him. "Don't go!"

He swings a foot over the side of the bed to get up, yelling in pain as the prongs of a plug, ripped from the wall during the frantic fumbling of the night before and belonging to the bedside lamp, found itself digging into his sole. Tripping forward, he threw his hands out before him in an attempt to steady himself on the wall, but off-balances and the bedknob in the corner of the frame became the waist-height point of impact, going straight into Jack's groin. With a yelp and a dry-heave, Jack curled up on the floor in agony.


	2. Chapter 2

Author junoharkness

Beta: a_silver_story

Rating: NC-17 overall. Don't know how bad this story's going to get

Warnings: None for this chapter

Summary: Ianto wakes up after COE

Disclaimer:If I owned Torchwood, Ianto would of never died, instead Gwen would have taken his place when facing 456. However I don't RTD owns it.

Thanks to a_silver_story for being Beta. Turned out way better than planned

"What am I supposed to do with myself now?" Ianto wondered aloud, realising that by now all his bank accounts would most likely be closed and he couldn't access any of his money. He wanders the streets of Glasgow, aimlessly trying to figure out what the Hell Ianto Jones was supposed to do now that he was dead.

He couldn't contact Gwen, because she would freak out, and Jack ... well, screw Jack. If he didn't have the decency to say 'I love you' or acknowledge that he even cared a bit for you when you were dying, he wasn't worth the time of day.

Rhiannon would most likely faint if he showed up on her doorstep. Well, slap him, then faint, most probably.

Ianto sighed as his stomach started to growl fiercely. He hadn't eaten in -what? ... two days? Weeks? Months? ... could it have even been years? He didn't know what the date was - how would he tell?

Walking into a local shops to steal some food before he starved to death and avoiding being caught by simply not trying to hide his sandwich and walking straight out of the shop with it in his hand on display, he found a local park and sat down on a quiet bench to eat his lunch.

He was just finishing his seemingly meagre food when a deep, sexy, familiar voice smoothly caught his attention.

"Well, well ... if it isn't good ol' Eye-Candy," Captain John smirks, his expression only slightly faltering when their gazes meet and he really sees the mess that is Ianto Jones.

Ianto glared up at John, masking his surprise in seeing him while groaning inside now that he had to deal with his presence. "What do you want, Hart?" he snapped, concentrating on the remnants of his sandwich and feeling his appetite slipping away. He chucks the rest of it into the grass for the birds.

"Nothing," John replies nonchalantly. "I was just in the neighborhood, and stumbled upon your fine self wandering out of Boots with a free sandwich and thought you might want to ... catch up ..."

"I'm not in the mood, John," Ianto sighs, deciding that walking away now would be the best idea. He sharply got to his feet and began to make his way down the footpath.

"What's the matter, Eye-Candy?" John taunted after him. "Jack left you again? Did he go off with his precious Doctor to screw around the Universe?" He was smirking, and Ianto stopped dead in his tracks.

Turning on his heel, Ianto strode straight up to John and without as much as a moment's hesitation, drew back his fist and punched him squarely in the jaw. "I don't ever want to hear that name again!" he growled, watching in satisfaction as John winced and rubbed the purpling skin where Ianto's fist had collided with his face.

Jack was finally starting to recover from the 'incident' with the bedknob, curled up in bed as the last aches were fading. Sitting up, he tried to figure out what to do with himself. He could go anywhere in the Universe right now … but that was exactly the problem. He could go anywhere, but where he really wanted to be was back on twenty-first century earth.

With Ianto.

Jack knows that's the last place he'd be able to go, so pushes all thoughts of it from his mind. He settles on going to the bar instead, and perching on what he'd come to think was 'his' stool. Nursing a glass of whatever it was he'd worked his way down the spirits menu toward, he kept himself to himself. It was still early, so only himself and a couple of other regulars were in, and since they mostly left him alone he had plenty of time to swill the liquid around today's brandy glass and stew. It wasn't long before his thoughts strayed back to Earth: to Torchwood and to Gwen; to Alice, to Steven, to Ianto; Toshiko, Owen, Suzie.

He wondered if it was normal to think of one's friends and family, and realise that eighty per cent of the list were dead because of said thinker.

The bar was starting to fill up, so Jack saved time and ordered the next twenty-six drinks on the menu to work through for the time being. By the time he reaches number nineteen … no … twenty … no … twenty-one? - he's too far out of it to see his beloved Doctor walking all over him.


	3. Chapter 3

John followed just behind Ianto as he headed out of the park. "You'll need a place to stay," he called after him. "Oh – and stuff called money so you can get a place to stay."

Ianto sighs irritably, coming to halt and turning to face him.

"Of course," continues John. "I'll be glad to … put up with you …"

Weighing up his options, Ianto bit back his annoyance. With reluctance, he accepted. "You try anything ..." he threatened, and John gave him his best 'Innocent' face, grabbed his arm and started half leading, half dragging him in the opposite direction and behind a bush. Ianto raises an eyebrow, but is prevented from commenting by they the rather sudden pressure bearing down on every inch of his body. His head was spinning and spinning, the blood rushing around his ears, the air taken from his lungs and everything went black.

With a disconcerting lurch, the world came rushing back, his feet hitting hard ground unexpectedly and with a gasp of air and a spluttering cough he tumbled down to the floor as John stood by and watched with amusement. Heaving himself back up and fighting intense nausea, Ianto tried to take in his surroundings. "Woah … this place is huge … I'd never have thought you owned a place like this ..."

"Four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, kitchen, family room, cellar, attic …" John ticked off his list. "You okay?" he asked with a frown, noticing Ianto's rather pallid complexion. Ianto gave a sharp nod, so John continued his gloating. "Probably much better than Jack's place," he said, leading Ianto into the house and taking his jacket off, tossing it to the side and abandoning it and turning to watch Ianto carefully.

"Jack lived in the Hub … in a small bunk in his office," Ianto told him.

John sniggered. "You're kidding me? I thought he was just joking when he said that ..." chuckled John, climbing the stairs and showing Ianto to his bedroom. "Your room is the second door on the right," he pointed.

"Where am I?" groaned Jack, hardly able to sit up in whatever bed he'd found himself in. He had been mistaken when he had thought his previous hanger had been the worse in the known Universe: this one was ten times more unbearable. His whole body was feeling like lead, weighing him down into the mattress as he tried to heave himself to a sitting position. "I have to stop drinking ..." he self-deprivatingly muttered to himself.

The Doctor could hear Jack talking to thin air from the other room, and strode over to him with a huge grin on his face. "Great to see you up! Almost thought you were going to remain unconscious for Eternity – you've been asleep for about forty-eight hours now," he said, the words rushing out of his mouth in a mad tumble.

Jack groaned a little louder then necessary. "I couldn't have been sleeping that long ..." He looked around the room, not really recognising it and frowning in confused. "Where am I?"

The Doctor made an incredulous sound. "You must have had more to drink than I'd thought. You're on the TARDIS, Captain. This is your old room," he explained, moving to perch on the end of the bed and watching Jack carefully.

"How did I get on the TARDIS?" Jack asked, massaging his temples and willing the pain to go away. "I don't remember."

The Doctor chuckled quietly. "Well," he began. "You were in the bar, drinking yourself to death … I came over and led you into the TARDIS where you passed out on your bed."

Jack groaned again, the mournful sound making his own head hurt more. "I think I'm gonna ..." he started saying, then darted off to the bathroom before the Doctor could say anything. He returned a few minutes later, staggering a bit and laying back down on the bed heavily. "What did you want me for?" he asked, cuddling his pillow and biting back the urge to wail.

The Doctor cleared his throat.

"I want you to go back to Torchwood."


	4. Chapter 4

Ianto woke up in his new bed, and lay there letting the last day and a half sink in.

John's house was much, much bigger than Ianto's. Ianto's bedroom on Earth wasn't even half the size of the one John had allowed him to stay in. Getting out of bed, pulling the dressing gown John had left for him around his shoulders and wondering what had possessed John to give him a pink one. Walking up to the dresser, he pulled open a random drawer.

There's a lot of the same clothing in each drawer, all the same size and with a vaguely familiar scent clinging to the fibres. Like a slap, Ianto realises that they belonged to Jack, still there from when John and Jack had been … 'together'.

He slammed the drawer shut in disgust, the thought of Jack bringing up untold bitterness. Opening the door to the walk-in closet, he found himself confronted with a shelf holding up a photograph of Jack at eye-level, all teeth and Harkness Grin. On instinct he simply slammed the door shut again and sat back down on the bed, furious with whatever cruel Fate was at play that he'd even met Captain Jack Harkness. He wouldn't even be in this situation if it wasn't for him. Seriously: who goes into a room containing an alien in a tank and expects to kill said alien just by shooting at the bullet proof glass? He should have at least considered a back up plan …

A growl emanating from his stomach still Ianto's internal rant and forces him to get up and seek out the kitchen and ten breakfast. It's just his luck that there's no food in the kitchen, and at a loss with what to do he makes his way up to John's room to ask if there is food anywhere else.

"John?" he calls, walking into the bedroom and stopping dead in his tracks, discovering John lying on top a purple-skinned humanoid he was very definitely having sex with.

John seemed to find it amusing, glancing over his shoulder without pausing what he was doing. "Ever heard of knocking, Eye-Candy?" he asks with a glint to his eye, clearly enjoying Ianto watching him.

"I was … erm … I-I'll see you later," Ianto mumbled, the words tumbling out rather fast as his face flushed red.

Retreating as fast as possible, Ianto rushed down the stairs, out into the garden and paused in the fresh air while he calmed down and cleared his head.

"No," Jack said firmly, sitting down and giving the Doctor a petulant glare.

"Jack, they need you back down on Earth. You were their leader and you just left them," the Doctor replied, taking a seat opposite him. He wasn't going to let Jack refuse – he would have stayed if the rest of the Universe didn't need him. "I know I wasn't there for you Jack, and I'm so sorry I wasn't. But I can't go back and change anything that happened."

Jack glared at him, detestation flaring in his chest. He had finally forgiven the Doctor for not being there … and the man himself had to go and bring it back up again.

"I'm not going back to Torchwood," Jack declared. "not after what happened. It's all my fault my friend and … boyfriend … are dead."

The Doctor simply sighed in melodramatic disappointment. "You can't control what happens to people, Jack. The Earth really needs you right now – Gwen needs you. She's rebuilt Torchwood, but she can't run it by herself, especially with her baby on the way … You also promised Ianto you'd look out for his niece and nephew ..."

Jack's face fell, guilt edging in as he thought about all the people that needed him whom he had simply left behind. He was tired of going on after all his loved ones died – but what else was he supposed to do, being immortal and all?

"Fine," he agreed petulantly. "I'll go back."


	5. Chapter 5

This Chapter contains very Mature themes

Warnings: M/M sex

John's garden was rather large, which Ianto supposed matched the house. Not caring overly much for the clothes he was wearing, he sat himself down on a patch of grass under a towering tree. The scent of the flowers around him and the warmth of the day made him sleepy as he tried to clear his head, and he watched the strange, brightly coloured insects dancing around some orange blooms, hypnotically diving and whirling, until his eyelids drooped and sleep claimed him.

What felt like only two seconds later – but could have been four hours – Ianto felt a toe prodding his stomach. He prised an eye open, and with some embarrassment squinted up at a rather amused John Hart standing over him, hands on his hips and a smirk in place.

"Ugh," Ianto groaned as his sleep-muddled brain kicked back into life. "I really do you hate you."

"Nah," grinned John, stepping back a little as Ianto got to his feet. "You just wish you do. Come on, Eye-Candy. We're going out."

"Out where?" Ianto asked, following him groggily up to the path leading around the front of the house.

"Y'know … iout/i. Meet a few people, have a few laughs … What?" he sighed, seeing the half-grimace on Ianto's face.

"We're not going … dancing are we?"

"Actually, I was going to take you out to lunch – but if you're just going to be completely ungrateful about everything I do for you …"

Ianto bit his lip. "I'm sorry … I never meant to be ungrateful … just … my natural disdain for you filters through my usual standards of behaviour."

John waved away his concerns. "Don't worry about it; I get it all the time," he winked, pressing a button on an outer wall to make the garage door lift. "So – I know a nice little place in town, an all right little place in town, and a truly awful place in town. Which shall it be?"

"The ... nice one?"

"You sure? There's boobies at the All Right Place."

Ianto's stomach growled, answering for him as he realised that John had a black Porsche convertible. For a moment, his mind flashed back to him and Jack driving through London in a royal blue model, and John must have noticed the shadow over his features.

"Ianto?"

Ianto blinked. "Erm … sorry. Get going, shall we?"

He pulled open the passenger-side door, and settled gracefully in his seat. John, however, seemed to be out to impress him by sitting on top of the driver's door and spinning around using his coccyx as a pivot until his legs were in the car and he could get down into his seat. Once in place, he put his key in the ignition and glanced over at Ianto as if seeking approval.

"From the point of view of an hormonal fourteen-year-old boy, that might have been impressive," Ianto told him.

John shrugged. "Aren't we all hormonal fourteen-year-olds, really?"

"My sister would probably agree with you," admitted Ianto.

"So … really … you were impressed."

"Just … drive to the place," sighed Ianto. "Please," he added, allowing his head to fall back against the top of the seat, his eyes closing as a headache threatened about his temples as the vehicle began to thrum and rumble around him, the engine stirred into life.

John's style of driving was very similar to Jack's – he seemed to think that the car was a fighter jet, and it required navigating nimbly and dangerously through the rest of the traffic on a course of its own. Ianto's knuckles whitened on the door handle and the dashboard as he prayed to at least make it through lunch with John Hart – dying hungry was inot/i on his To Do List – before being thrown twelve feet in the air when someone decided not to move for John's tyrannous driving.

They broke hard outside what looked to Ianto like a rather expensive Italian restaurant, and a valet came to drive John's car away for parking. Ianto raised an eyebrow, and John smirked.

"INow/i you're impressed," he tsked. "Expensive date."

"I'm not your 'date'," scowled Ianto.

"No, you're my charity case," John reminded him, offering an arm.

"I'm not a girl," Ianto grumbled.

John looked confused for a moment. "Fine – I'll take the offer of your arm, then."

Ianto found his arm grasped and tugged toward a man with a handlebar moustache holding open a large glass door for them. He greeted them both as 'sir', warmly and politely, and inside they were greeted by an identical man who was basically the same in every way, except greying at the temples. He welcomed them just as warmly and politely, and led them to a table at the far side of the thus far rather empty restaurant.

"This is nice, John," Ianto conceded. "Thank you."

"The pleasure will be all mine," John promised. "But … you're welcome, anyway." Kicking back in his seat and relaxing as menus were placed in front of them, he grinned cheekily. "If Jack could see us now, eh?" He turned to the waiter. "A bottle of house red, if you wouldn't mind – what are you drinking?" he asked Ianto.

"Er ..."

"Bring lots of wine," John decided for him. "What? You were too slow," he said in reply to the quirked eyebrow opposite him.

Ianto sighed and shook his head resignedly as he opened the menu and began to browse. He bit his lip. He couldn't read it. "John … what the Hell does all this say? I can't read these symbols."

"What do you like to eat?" John asked.

"I like meat."

John grinned. "Oh, Eye-Candy – I bet you do ..."

Ianto rolled his eyes, though he had walked into that one. "Please could you tell me which dishes I might like? Which ones are your favourites?"

"Why not be adventurous and pick something at random?"

"I might not like it."

"You might, though."

"I might not."

"You imight/i, and that's what's fun."

Ianto shuffled in his seat. "That one, then."

"That's a side."

"What about that one?"

"A bit … eggy. And smells like egg sandwiches."

"Ugh. That one?"

"Are you allergic to shellfish?"

"No."

"Then that one should be fine."

Ianto shrugged. "Whatever that one was, then."

The waiter returned to their table with two bottles of wine and filled their glasses, took their food orders and left them to place it.

"So ..." Ianto tried awkwardly. "Can I ask … why … how did Jack … leave you?"

John tapped the table. "The first Annual Meeting of the Jack Left Me For Better Things Club has been called into session ..."

"Sorry … forget I asked."

Nodding, John sipped his wine. "Delicious," he smiled. "Try some?"

Ianto lifted his own glass and took a sip. It was fruity and sweet, and tasted more like concentrated strawberry juice than alcoholic wine. "That's really … I like it. What's it called?"

Shrugging, Captain Hart took another large gulp and relaxed back into his chair. Already, their food was being brought out. Brought out … alive …

Ianto stared at the two little crab-like things scuttling around underneath the grille covering his rectangular dish, and was grateful to note that John had ordered the same thing. They were given bowls of dips and salads, and a hot stone was placed between them. The waiter wished them a 'good meal', leaving them to it and bustling off.

Watching John, Ianto realised he was expected to use a strange little tool with an energy charge to kill his crabs, then cook break them apart and cook them himself. John was quite happily chasing his still-alive crab around his dish, before finally cornering it and zapping it. Ianto followed by example, swallowing his reservations in the interest of being polite.

John showed him which parts of the crab were good to eat, how to use the hot stone to cook them and which dips worked best with which limb or flesh. The crabs were delicious but salty, and Ianto gulped down a glass and a half of the fruity strawberry-like wine before his first one was even finished. John raised an eyebrow at the rate he was drinking it, but though he was being polite in saying nothing.

It wasn't until it came to exhibiting extended co-ordination that Ianto noticed he perhaps should have gone a little steadier. He was only trying to speak, but apparently that wasn't as easy as it had been thirty minutes earlier. An attempt to thank John for the meal came out in a slurred tangle of sounds, and Ianto frowned in confusion at himself. Two and a bit glasses of wine and his words were going?

"Wha' percentage is that?" he asked, trying to stand up as John finished the transaction paying for the meal.

"About the same as whisky on your planet," John shrugged, and Ianto's eyes widened to saucers.

"I juss' had … ihow/i many glasssesuv whisky?" He lifted his empty glass to his eye level to inspect it, trying to gauge how many shots of spirit he reckoned would fit per glass. "Didn' taste strung," he pteulantly argued.

"You think that's strong? Wait until you meet HyperVodka. Easy, Eye-Candy. You're going to take yourself out if you don't watch where your hands are going."

John was pretty much propping him up on the way out, and as they waited for the valet made the mistake of letting Ianto out of his sight. He turned to find him quite pissedly telling the gentleman on the door that he looked iexactly/i like someone Ianto knew, though he couldn't quite remember from where.

"C'mon, you," John sighed.

"Mah liver," Ianto told him, leaning precariously into his face. "hates you. Mah liver irealllllly/i fuckin' hates iyou/i." John flinched as a finger poked his chest, accusatory. "It hates you, it hates iJack/i, it hates, it hates his icoat/i, it hates iyour/i jacket, it hates your cow, it hates iyou/i … and … and so's your iDad/i!"

John rubbed his temples. It was going to be a long trip back.

Ianto calmed down after a couple of glasses of cold water. John had managed to get him settled on the

couch (and to stay there) while he tried to find his First Aid kit with its breathalyser – he'd be able to tell from

that just how much Ianto had consumed and whether or not his poor twenty-first century liver, so full of hate,

would be subjected to alcohol poisoning.

He seemed fine, as far as John could tell, so left him to yell obscenities at a melodramatic soap on the

television while throwing popcorn at the screen.

"You BASTARD!" Ianto shouted, throwing a particularly large handful at the man on screen who was telling

his partner he was bored with his life and leaving indefinitely to travel the star system in search of something

new.

"Okay … enough telly," sighed John, using the remote to switch it off. He put a hand on Ianto's shoulder and

rubbed soothing circles. "I think maybe you could sleep it off?" he suggested. "Unless … you're not tired."

Ianto shook his head. "Nope. Not tired."

John nodded, then narrowed his eyes slightly as he weighed Ianto up in his mind. "How angry at Jack are

you, Ianto?" he asked.

"If I ever see him again, I'm gonna rip his bollocks off and feed them … to them crab things. NO! I'm gonna

use them crab things to nip his testicles off. Then I'm gonna feed them to … to … to …" Ianto huffed angrily

as nothing sprang to mind. In the end, he decided on going with, "I'll put them in the freezer and decide what

to do with them after I'm done knocking his stupid teeth out!"

John moved the hand on Ianto's shoulder to his nape, and stroked the short hairs at the base of Ianto's neck

gently. "I'd love to help you out," he murmured.

Ianto sighed. "I'm getting toward sober, and you're trying to take advantage of me."

"Of course I am! I'd be insulted if you thought I wasn't! … and it's not like Jack's not out there, fucking his way

across the Universe … what's the point in you and me wallowing in self-pity and loneliness when we could

be seeing stars of our own?"

Ianto turned his head, gazing at John sadly. "You think he is?"

"I do, Eye-Candy. I do."

"And … he's not coming back?"

"He never comes back."

"He did. Once."

"He probably got lost," John said bitterly.

"Do you think … he just forgot us? Pushed us to the back of his mind so that he wouldn't have to think and

just …"

"What do you think, Ianto?"

"I think he did," Ianto rasped. "That fuckin' bastard … I think he did."

"So ..." breathed John, "what do you and I do now?"

Ianto turned his head, his reddening eyes meeting John's calm blues. "We fuck," he said simply.

John wasn't quite so prepared for the kiss as he'd thought he'd be, should the situation ever arrive. Ianto took

him by surprise, overpowered him and had him on his back on the sofa in a quick motion that fired John's

synapses into life. He opened his mouth to the pressure of Ianto's tongue, wrapped his legs around his waist

and tried to maintain some control of the situation.

However, it seemed Ianto was not going to relent. He was bigger, stronger and impatient, nearly tearing

John's clothes as he kissed and scrabbled to get them off. Eventually John had to grasp his wrists and

squeeze until it hurt. "Be patient," he murmured, pressing a kiss up onto Ianto's lips. "Why don't you give

those reins to me, and we'll make this good, yeah?"

Ianto sniggered. "Girl," he taunted, then bit John's lower lip, delighting in the flinch he got in return. "Let's play

a game," he murmured, kissing the lip he had nipped. "First one in my bed ..." He kissed John's neck. "...

gets to pick the position ..."

John laughed, then grunted as Ianto rolled off him onto the floor, got to his feet and waited for John to right

himself. They practically crawled over each other on the stairs, tripping the other, dragging backwards and

kissing whenever their mouths were close enough. Ianto had lost his trousers on the way, and John had

somehow lost everything but … was he wearing boy shorts?

"Are you wearing girls' knickers?" laughed Ianto, spotting the white and pink flowers decorating John's left

arse cheek.

John hesitated and glanced down at himself, and Ianto took the opportunity to shoot into the lead and throw

himself down onto his bed. Without complaining, John began to help him pull the comforter, pillows and

cushions off and abandoned them on the floor, leaving them with just the mattress and the cotton sheet.

Ianto pulled his t-shirt over his head, kneeling in the middle of the bed and pulling John close to him, their

skin brushing as they kissed hungrily.

Laughing, Ianto and John wrestled each other down to the mattress, John sinking his teeth into Ianto's

shoulder and making him hiss, force a knee between John's legs and press him down onto the firm surface

beneath them. John tried to speak and with a throaty chuckle Ianto kissed him again to prevent his words,

pressing his hips down and making John grunt.

"I have an idea," John said distantly as Ianto began to kiss and nip his way down John's chest. "It's

inappropriate, childish and more than just a little bit obsessive, but it's a fun idea."

Ianto raised his head a little and blew gently on the sensitive skin of John's tummy. "Sounds like my kind of

idea," he prompted, curling his fingers over the top of the knickers John had opted to wear and tugging them

down to his thighs. With a sound of disappointment from Ianto, John rolled from the bed, opened the closet

and took out the photograph of Jack.

"What are you doing with that?" Ianto asked warily.

John set the photo on the bedside table, positioning it so that it would face the bed. Ianto laughed, and lifted

his hips as he tugged his boxers down his legs and tossed them aside with John's knickers. John gave an

appreciative whistle, crawling to lie beside him and press himself against him from shoulder to knee. They

kissed languidly, hands exploring the strange planes of each other's bodies, electricity jolting through them

when they pushed and ground their hips into each other.

Sliding his hand down John's back, Ianto reached his arse to find that John was way ahead, already

fingering and stretching himself. Breaking the kiss, Ianto brought his finger to his mouth, sucked on it and

made it wet, then pushed his hands between John's legs, forcing his own finger inside him, too.

"Uh … yeah ..." grunted John, hissing at the new burn. He withdrew his own hand so that he could push

Ianto onto his back by his shoulders and straddle him so that they could sixty-nine. He briefly leaned over to

the bedside table, rummaging around until he found lubricant, then tossed it over his shoulder for Ianto to

catch, leaned forward on his knees and elbows, then began to give him what John hoped would be the blow

job of his life.

Indeed, Ianto was more than just a little preoccupied, and in the end John felt a little left out of the pleasure

and eased up a little to make room in his mind for action. He shivered as cold gel was finally poured over his

entrance and hot tongue began to to lap and probe.

Ianto discovered pretty quickly that the lubricant was mint-flavoured, and it just added to the sensations John

was creating with his mouth. He carried on, one hand at the top of each of John's thighs to hold him open

with firm grip as he dared to push his tongue a little deeper. He felt the muscles contract around it as John

stuttered, almost forgetting that Ianto's erection was currently lodged in his throat and nearly making him

choke.

Sucking John's balls into his mouth and flicking his tongue, Ianto decided to concentrate on preparation. He

patted John's bottom, prompting him to stop, and moved until he could kneel behind him, John on all fours.

Jerking him off with one hand, Ianto used the other to push his fingers inside him, stretching him open and

ready.

John let out an erotic moan that made Ianto's breath hitch, and John smirked when he noticed. He made the

sound again, and Ianto shoved his head into the mattress playfully. "Stop that, or I'll squeeze the base of

your cock and not let you come."

"Oof," John grunted as Ianto's fingers were thrust forward with unexpected roughness. "Yes, isir/i …"

Ianto squeezed some more gel over his fingers, onto his cock and let some run down, cold and wet, over

John's erection. Using the tips of his thumbs to hold John's hole open, he stretched a little more and decided

even if John wasn't ready, Ianto was – and John could probably take it.

Unsure why he did it, but did it anyway, Ianto gave Jack's photo a cheeky salute before lining himself up and

pushing forward. John pushed back, helping him inside, and moaned loudly. "Oh … oh … ohohohoh!" he

was nearly shouting, and Ianto rolled his eyes.

"I didn't … realise the plan … was for Jack to ihear/i us ..." he panted, and John squeezed down on him.

Ianto let out a rather unmanly whimper, but made up for it by angling a little, pulling out and thrusting back

inside again right into that ithat/i spot.

They found a rhythm together, John pretty much gyrating and Ianto thrusting at the right moment and hitting

the right place almost every single time, and John was making enough noise that Jack could probably

ihear/i them.

Spent and laughing, they collapsed together onto the mattress.

"You're a little more than just Eye-Candy, I'll give you that," panted John.

"I expected a bit more fight from you, if I'm honest," Ianto teased, turning to lie on his side, his back to John

as he scrubbed hands over his face. John edged closer and tried to spoon against him. "Don't," Ianto said,

shrugging him off.

"Sorry," John muttered, and moved away.

On opposite sides of the bed and with their backs to each other, they fell into a light sleep.

Torchwood.

That was the major thing that had completely ruined his life.

Jack entered Torchwood Two unannounced, not caring what reception he might get. He'd only ever been there two or three times. Nowadays – or what had been the 'nowadays' – Archie would come down to Torchwood Three, and before that they would have all met up at Torchwood One with Yvonne in London.

Walking straight through the unlocked front door, Jack got the instant impression the building may be empty. "Archie?" he called, hoping the strange little man might answer him.

Shuffling footsteps echoed down an indeterminate corridor, and a shout of 'Jack me lad!' greeted him moments before Archie himself appeared at the top of the grand staircase. "You've been away far too long – it's been almost two years since I last saw you," he was saying, smiling as he made his way down the stairs toward Jack. "So … to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Jack couldn't help returning the short, blustery elderly man's smile. "I … need to see all the Torchwood Three employees that got sent here after … after the 256. We're planning on moving the bodies to our new base," he explained, sighing regretfully as thoughts of Ianto tried to cloud his mind.

Archie nodded understandingly. "Sure. Just follow me."

He led Jack through an impossibly large number of corridors, splitting off in every direction; some tunnels leading off into the ceiling with ladders and fireman's poles for entrance and exit – if anyone broke into this base without a map, they'd be lost for days, and Jack was considering asking for a map in case he got lost. He was right on target when he told everyone that Archie was 'a little bit strange', he considered as he began to follow Archie up what appeared to Jack to be a random ladder.

The tunnel opened up in the floor of a rather small room, and Archie pointed the way. "Torchwood Cardiff is straight down the hall and then to the left. If you need anything, just yell, okay? Don't worry – I doubt you'll get lost. Well … sort of doubt you'll get lost. Only ten people have died trying to get out of here, so the stats are good considering how many people have been in."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Ten people is … rather are lot for … how long?"

"Oh – that's just this year," Archie said airly, waving away Jack's concerns, nimbly hooking a leg around the pole and spinning around it as he slid down and out of sight.

Jack sighed.

Straight ahead and to the …. left. He could do that.

He began to make his way down the corridor when his instinct piqued and he hesitated. He moved a hand slightly, and frowned.

There was a strange resistance to his movement close to the wall on his left, like pushing his hand through water. He could sense a fizzle and tingle, ever so faintly, between his fingers, and knew instantly what it was.

iVortex energy/i ...

iResidual vortex energy .../i

Something had happened, and Jack could feel the disturbance in time dancing through the air, two paradoxes of the Space:Time continuum walking through each others' timelines. Himself … and someone else.

He felt a similar thing around John Hart – had a time traveller been here?

Jack continued down the corridor, one hand feeling out the residual trail, feeling it stronger as he got nearer his left turn. No normal human would be able to feel this – only him, with his endless amounts of Vortex energy flowing through every moment of his existence.

The residual disturbance was getting stronger and … stickier … the closer Jack seemed to move to its source. It was more than just lingering in his fingers, it was moving to his arms, his legs, his chest – he was breathing the air, but it was like trying to breathe through cloth gag. He turned left, almost hoping that would take him out of the residual energy's disturbance of him, but it just got stronger … and there was something else … something … familiar ...

The walls were lined with shining metal doors, and part of Jack just iknew/i … just ifelt/i which one would be hanging open, the drawer rolled out and empty. The standard morgue gown that would have dressed lay abandoned on a chair, and a set of scrubs was missing from the autopsy surgeon's peg.

For the sake of it, and because the energy around him didn't feel quite so bad now that he had a pretty good idea to whom the trail would lead, Jack rolled the drawer back into the wall and shut the door.

Just as he'd thought.

i'Jones, I.'/i


	6. Chapter 6

Ianto woke up, sighing quietly as he realised John had an arm draped over him. Carefully, Ianto removed the arm, climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxers, figuring that John probably wouldn't mind him wandering around in only them. Besides, it was much better than using the bright pink robe John had given him – anything would probablly have been better after finding out the robe originally belonged to Jack.

Glad he was young and didn't have to suffer the effects of hangovers like most over people in the world, Ianto counted his blessings. Rubbing his eyes, he made his way downstairs to make some breakfast for the two of them, deciding that it would be the least he could do. He looked through the fridge and pulled out what looked like eggs and bacon, and began brewing up some coffee. The bacon and eggs were cooked and ready fifteen minutes later, and just as John came down the stairs he was laying the table.

John was completely naked, and smiling hungrily at all the food.

"Well, Eye-Candy, everything looks delicious," he grinned, sitting down and digging into the eggs. "Thanks."

Ianto rolled his eyes and sat opposite John. "Aren't you going to put any clothes on?"

"It's not like you haven't seen this before," John pointed out. "Besides, my house: my rules," he added with a smirk and a victory sip of coffee.

Remembering he was supposed to be grateful, Ianto didn't reply and took a bite of his eggs. "These taste different," he frowned. "What are they?" he asked, looking down at his plate and back up at John.

"Are you sure you want to know?" John said, doubtfully.

Ianto nodded, taking another bite.

"Fine," shrugged John. "They're penguin eggs." He failed to hide his amusement at Ianto's reaction.

He spat his eggs out over the table. "What?" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Penguin eggs – you know, those little black and white birds who can't fly and live by the South Pole?"

Ianto pushes his plate away from him looking at the eggs in disgust "Next time tell me when im eating something like that"

John shrugs a bit "It's not that bad. plus you seemed to be enjoying them before i told you."

"Still they were penguins" ianto says putting his dishes away

John finishes eating his breakfast "I have nothing planned for today. we could always go back upstairs" he smirks suggestively

Ianto rolls his eyes and takes johns dishes to clean the table off "I was drunk, and didn't know what I was doing"

"So that doesn't mean anything. Sex doesn't mean anything at all Ianto. Especially when it comes to Jack harkness..."


	7. Chapter 7

Jack stood there, staring at the water tower before him.

"I have to get this done if I ever want to see Ianto again," he thought to himself.

After a few more minutes of trying to make his body move, he finally gets the courage and walks over to the invisible lift and stands on the stone. He types the code into his wrist strap, and the invisible left began to descend. It got to the bottom and he stepped off, looking around the Hub. It was completely the same, and he sighed to himself, partly wishing that Gwen would have changed some stuff around. After a quick scan of the building, he wandered up to where his old office used to be.

The sound of the cog door's siren alerted Jack that someone has entered the Hub. He spotted Gwen by herself, in earliest now that she's the leader. She made her way up to her office and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Jack standing there.

"Jack?" she gasped, hardly able to believe her eyes.

"The one and only," he replied with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Gwen threw herself at him, hugging him tight. "I've missed you, Jack," she said, looking up at him. Eventually she let go, took a step back and slapped him as hard as she could.

Jack cradled the side of his face in his hand, wincing in pain and staring at her as if she was insane. "What was that for?"

"For leaving me, Jack! You left me in all this mess and destruction and didn't even tell me where you were going!"

"Sorry … what? First of all, it's not like we're a couple – I don't have to tell you where I'm going all the time," he snapped defensively, "Secondly, I couldn't stay here."

Gwen sighed loudly and nodded resignedly, wondering if she and Jack could have ever really been a couple. She looked up at him, flashing a small smile. "Well, I'm glad your back. Sort of."


	8. Chapter 8

"So what are you planning to do?" John drapes his arm over Eye-Candy's perfect body, after another successful attempt at getting Eye-Candy. He would have to stop referring Ianto as Eye-Candy, if he wants another go with him

Ianto propped himself up on one of his elbows to look John in the eyes "What do you mean?"

John raised an eyebrow then eventually rolls his eyes "You can't be serious Ianto? Your just going to let Harkness get away after doing what he did to you?"

"I don't want to, but I don't know what to do to him to get even" Ianto runs a hand through his hair to fix it so it looks halfway decent

Sitting up and leaning against the head board "Well your lucky you have me then aren't you?To have a wonderful con man by your side in your time of need"

Pulling up to cover his lower half he moves his eyes away from Johns not replying.

"There's only one way to torture a guy like him Ianto. It's through what he loves most. Now what does Jack love the most and hate to see something happen to?" he waits for Ianto to realize.

"Me..." he whispers and looks John in the eyes "But to him I'm already gone"

"Well Ianto Jones, your going to be going back to Wales and make Jack fall in love with you. Once that's accomplished I'll tell you the rest of the plan."

Jack had been sitting up in his office for days, looking through every single piece of CCTV footage he had of the Scottish branch for Ianto. There was still no sign of Ianto anywhere. He had promised Gwen that he would go home and try and get some rest instead of exhausting himself. He checks his watch and its about 11:30 so he closes all of the programs he'd been using.

Gwen comes walking upstairs to Jacks office to check on him "When are you going home Jack? I can give you a lift if you want. I'm leaving now."

"I was actually planning on leaving now to." Jack sighs "I know Ianto's back but I can't find him. I've checked through all the CCTV footage and can't find anything"

"Have you tried checking the rift readings? It might tell you if anything else happened or how he came back"

"Haven't thought of that. I've been so busy looking through the CCTV footage." Jack says running back up to his office and opening a file that contained all rift activity from the time around the 456 to see if he can find anything at all on Ianto

After hours of searching Jack had finally found what he was looking for.


	9. Chapter 9

Jack patiently waits at his desk as he waits for the scan on the computers to spit out the results he's waiting for. After falling asleep at his desk Jack jerks himself awake and one of the computer's alarms go off letting him know the the results are in and that there's expected rift activity. He quickly reads the results over and he was right. The rift energy that had occurred just awhile after the 456 had belonged to John Hart. What were the chances that John Hart would show up the day Ianto Jones went missing from the morgue.

Jack looks at the location where the expected rift activity is going to be and heads out to the old abandoned ware house. He withdraws his gun hearing some banging inside and flips the safety off as he rounds one of the corners. He sees a silhouette of a man standing off to the corner in the shadows and slowly moves towards him

John looks at Ianto and places a small watch on Ianto's wrist. "This isn't a regular watch. You can use it for time travel." He points to a red button. "If you need to get back here press this button. The black sets the time, year and all that while the green let's you go. It only allows travel for one person."

Ianto nods and stares at the watch before looking up at John and frowning a bit "So what's the plan exactly?"

John rolls his eyes rather annoyed and looks at Ianto "I can't tell you the rest of the plan. I told you, make Jack believe that he just found you and you don't remember what happened. Let Jack believe that your in love with him but be strict as in no sex and don't let him sleep at your place. Got it?"

"Got it." He replies and looks at John giving him a slight kiss on the lips that doesn't last to long "See you soon." he disappears before Johns eyes. He hasn't been able to get rid of the dizziness and nausea that follows with time travel. He stumbles around in the dark in what looks like an old abandoned ware house.


End file.
